MetroWest Legal Services aims to provide legal advocacy to protect and advance the rights of the poor, elderly, disabled and other disenfranchised people and to assist them in obtaining legal, social and economic justice. MWLS is an exciting workplace with dedicated social justice advocates—join us!

Crime victims, including domestic violence survivors, often experience difficult legal problems that can’t be solved through the criminal law system. For example, a victim of an assault may be unable to work, leading to financial distress including an eviction and debt collection problems; or, a survivor of domestic violence may need legal help to get a divorce and child support.

The Domestic Violence Project provides legal assistance to survivors of domestic violence in their contested family court cases which can include divorce, paternity, abuse prevention orders, custody and child support.  The Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime Initiative — CLAVC — helps victims of crime throughout Massachusetts with their related civil legal problems — including family law, housing, immigration, disability rights, child welfare, education, consumer, identity theft, employment rights and public benefits.

Responsibilities include:         

• Represents clients in civil legal matters including family law, immigration, identity theft, housing, and education matters.
• Fifty percent (50%) of caseload will be in family law matters representing survivors in their domestic violence-related civil legal matters including divorce, custody, paternity, and protection order cases, thereby increasing survivor choice, safety, and economic independence.
• Fifty percent (50%) of caseload will be in civil matters involving other areas of law where there is a direct or indirect correlation between the client’s victimization and the civil legal need.
• Educates survivors about their legal options so they can be empowered to make their own informed decisions, with the goal of minimizing the risk of outcomes that jeopardize safety and wellbeing.
• Conducts targeted outreach to enhance visibility of legal services provided, and to connect with communities that could benefit from your help.

Qualifications/Competencies include:

• Admitted to Massachusetts bar (or a bar of another state**).
• Two plus years’ experience in providing family law services preferred; focus on representing survivors of domestic violence preferred.
• At least one-year experience with court litigation preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize appropriate, non-judgmental communication techniques when responding to survivors that illustrates sensitivity to their experiences and needs. Prior experience interviewing and counseling survivors of trauma and abuse preferred.
• Ability to work and advocate in a collaborative style with diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic groups, as well as diversity based on ability/disability, sexual orientation and religion.
• Spoken fluency in a second language (Spanish or Portuguese) preferred. Language competencies will be tested during the interview process.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task.
• Excellent writing and oral advocacy skills. 
• Fully vaccinated pursuant to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
• Sense of humor and willingness to be a team player.

**An applicant who is admitted to the bar of another state must be eligible to practice as a foreign lawyer under SJC Rule 3.04 and become a member of the Mass. bar within 2 years.

Salary/Benefits: Salary is based on a union scale with a base wage of $60,000 plus experience credit if applicable. Benefits package include generous PTO leave, 100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, employer match on retirement contributions, student loan repayment assistance program for eligible attorneys and extensive professional development opportunities.

To Apply: Email a cover letter addressing your interest and experience in poverty/public interest law and a resume to MetroWest Legal Services, at jobs@mwlegal.org. Please send and attach PDFs only. Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be considered on a rolling basis.MWLS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strives to ensure that our staff members reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. MWLS encourages applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.